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"THE DOCTOR IS IN" Excerpted from: This week, ARRL Letter readers are in luck! The ARRL's very own Doctor, author of the popular QST column "The Doctor Is IN," answers a question from his mailbag: Question -- Don Christensen, W8WOJ, of Midland, Michigan, asks: I am not a frequent user of 2 meters yet; however, I do want to be available for emergency activity. I have a 2 meter handheld transceiver at the ready, but wonder what the preferred procedure is to ensure that my transceiver's nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries are charged and ready for service. The Doctor answers -- Unfortunately, NiCds might not be the best choice for such an application with intermittent use. If you run down a NiCd battery pack too low, any strong cells may reverse charge the weaker cells, damaging the weak cells. On the other hand they also don't like being constantly topped off without actual hard use -- this promotes crystal formation, which can short out the cells. They are most happy in applications in which they are used until they discharge significantly, but not all the way and then are just charged until fully recharged. Thus, the idea of having a spare pack that is just kept charged up, but never actually used, is not a good plan. If you have two packs, they will both last longer if one is used until it runs down and then you switch to the other and promptly recharge the depleted one. Perhaps you can have the radio turned on a few days a week monitoring the local repeater. Many handheld radios offer battery cases for non-rechargeable Alkaline cells that can be used in place of the rechargeable battery. These are a good choice since they have long shelf life, generally have a longer operating life than a charge with similar sized NiCds, and are usable in field situations in which charging sources are not available. Another choice, if you must have a rechargeable battery, is to use sealed lead acid or gel cell batteries -- they love to be kept on a float charge until needed, but are bulky and require a separate cable to the handheld. FCC ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS EXCERPTED FROM: On October 5, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau released new Amateur Radio enforcement actions. Raymond W. Czyzewski, Jr, WA2SEI, of Interlachen, Florida, received notification from the FCC of a complaint alleging he "interfere[d] on the Six Meter Amateur band on June 19, 2007. The complaint also enclosed a threatening communication apparently from you to the complainant subsequent to the incident. The information contained in the complaint, if true, raises serious questions regarding your qualifications to retain an Amateur license." Czyzewski was given 20 days to respond and was directed to "support your response with a signed and dated affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury, verifying the truth and accuracy of the information submitted in your response." He was warned that the FCC will use "all relevant information... including information that you disclose in your reply" to make a decision in his case, and that penalties could include "license revocation, suspension of your operator privileges, or monetary forfeiture (fine). Fines normally range from $7,500 to $10,000." Guy E Weitl, WB6HGJ, of San Diego, California, received notification from the FCC of a complaint alleging "numerous instances of out of band operation on Twenty Meter frequencies 14.003, 14.005, 14.011 and 14.106 MHz, frequencies for which you are not authorized as a General Class licensee. The complaint also alleges that you have been sent several notices about out of band operation. The information contained in the complaint, if true, raises serious questions regarding your qualifications to retain an Amateur license." Weitl was given 20 days to respond and was directed to "support your response with a signed and dated affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury, verifying the truth and accuracy of the information submitted in your response." He was warned that the FCC will use "all relevant information...including information that you disclose in your reply" to make a decision in his case, and that penalties could include "license revocation, suspension of your operator privileges, or monetary forfeiture (fine). Fines normally range from $7,500 to $10,000." David B. Huston, WD8RFS, of Ely, Minnesota, received notification from the FCC regarding a complaint "concerning the operation of your repeater on 145.370 MHz. The complaint alleges lack of control and defective signals and indicates that you have been contacted about these problems but have declined to address them." Huston was given 20 days to respond and was directed to "describe in detail" and include with his response "the procedures you use to control the repeater and provide the names and addresses of all control operators." Darin W. Colville, KM0Q, of O'Fallon, Missouri, received notification from the FCC that he would face a six month restriction on his Amateur Radio license. The Commission said, "On March 16, 2007, we sent you copies of complaints received by the Commission concerning the operation of your Amateur station. The complaints alleged deliberate interference, broadcasting and failure to identify. Our letter stated that the information contained in the complaints, if true, raised serious questions regarding your qualifications to retain an Amateur license. We requested detailed information from you pursuant to Section 308(b) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. S: 308(b), which gives the Commission the authority to obtain information from applicants and licensees about the operation of their station and their qualifications to remain a licensee." After telephone conversations between Colville and FCC representatives, it was agreed that Colville would accept "a six month restriction on your license that would prohibit operation on any Amateur station on UHF or VHF for a period of six months in order to avoid further enforcement sanctions. That restriction is retroactive to July 9, 2007, and will end at midnight January 6, 2008." RILEY REITERATES RECOMMENDATION EXCERPTED FROM FCC Special Counsel in the Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth's main message at the Dayton Hamvention® 2007 FCC Forum may not have been a new one. But it's certainly one he believes bears repeating -- at least until it starts cutting through the QRM and QRN that pervade more communication channels than our Amateur Radio bands. "Well, you could have gone to the flea market, but you came to church instead," Hollingsworth quipped to his Dayton forum audience. "I've got you now." Hollingsworth repeated what for many Riley Watchers has become a familiar refrain: That the Amateur Radio community needs to "lighten up" on the air. Acknowledging that he was repeating himself, Hollingsworth urged his audience to take his message more to heart. "All of you can learn from each other," he said, "and you need to work together more and show a little more respect for your diverse interests and for the Amateur Service as a whole. It isn't about you. It isn't about enforcement. It's about Amateur Radio." As radio amateurs take to the airwaves, he continued, they need to decide what's most important -- the best interests of ham radio or their ego, pride or perceived "rights." "I realize I may be preaching to the choir here, but on the air you need to be more cooperative and less argumentative -- and I need you to take this message with you when you go home," he continued. As a "homework assignment," Hollingsworth encouraged his listeners to read the "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial, "Most Effective Use" by ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, in May 2007 QST. In his commentary, Sumner stressed that interference occurring as a side effect of legitimate Amateur Radio activities in crowded bands "is simply a fact of life" and that it's "unfair to your fellow amateurs to assume that every instance of interference you may encounter is a hostile act." Hollingsworth offered good news and bad news. "The good news: Nothing is wrong with Amateur Radio," he allowed. "It is a good service that is showing its value to the public on a daily basis." The bad news, he asserted, making a comparison to "road rage," is "that there is an element of Amateur Radio that too often reflects present society generally." Hollingsworth urged all radio amateurs to cooperate more and depend less on the FCC to solve their operating issues. "We live in a rude, discourteous, profane, hotheaded society that loves its rights, prefers not to hear about its responsibilities, and that spills over into the ham bands," he said. Hollingsworth's bottom line: Be flexible in your frequency selection and make regular use of the "big knob" on the front of your transceiver to shift to any of the "thousands of frequencies and hundreds usable at any given time of day or year" as necessary to avoid problems. "The world is ugly enough -- don't add to it," Hollingsworth advised. "We can enforce our rules, but we can't enforce kindness and courtesy or common sense," Hollingsworth concluded. "And a very wise person, who happens to be standing to my left [FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer Bill Cross, W3TN -- Ed] once told me: 'You can't regulate stupid.' If we could, we'd be working for the United Nations instead of the FCC." In his comments, Cross singled out the controversy that erupted recently over fears that automatically controlled digital stations would overwhelm the amateur bands, eclipsing most other modes. Cross cited §97.7 of the rules, which requires each amateur station to have a control operator and, in essence, to employ a "listen-before-transmit" protocol." When a station is under automatic control, regardless of the transmission mode, Cross explained, the control operator need not be at the control point, but must employ station control devices and procedures while transmitting that ensure compliance with the FCC rules and does not cause harmful interference to ongoing communications of other stations. The operational rule, Cross said, is: "Your call sign, your responsibility."
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